Departmental Official Hospitality

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department paid to the designated moderator at the event which it hosted at the Walker Art Gallery on 20 November 2008.

Andy Burnham: No payment was made to the moderator at the event hosted by DCMS at the Walker Art Gallery on 20 November 2008.

Housing Benefit: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of housing benefit in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) Essex in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 9 February 2009
	Housing benefit information is not available at constituency level.
	The most recent available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Number of recipients of housing benefit in Essex, 2003-07 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Great Britain 3,813,560 3,943,590 3,981,020 4,024,280 4,040,940 
			 Essex 62,080 65,140 66,780 68,420 69,760 
			  Notes: 1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System. Quarterly 100 per cent. case load stock-count taken in August 2003 to August 2007.

Pensions: Council Tax Benefit

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent steps his Department has taken to  (a) increase the take-up of council tax benefit and  (b) simplify the procedure for pensioners to claim.

Kitty Ussher: Council tax benefit makes an important contribution to the financial security of around 2.6 million pensioner households. We therefore want to ensure that, they get the money they are entitled to.
	We are making good progress. When pension credit was introduced in October 2003, we invested almost £0.5 billion a year in increasing the amounts on which housing benefit and council tax benefit are based. This meant that around 2 million pensioner households became either entitled to council tax benefit for the first time or qualified for more help.
	People on the guarantee credit or guarantee plus savings credit of pension credit (with or without the savings credit) can get maximum council tax benefit. They are treated as having no income or capital. People with savings credit only may still be entitled to some council tax benefit.
	All pension credit customers who are identified as having council tax liability are encouraged to claim council tax benefit when they make their initial claim for pension credit.
	Since December 2005, people applying for pension credit have been able to access housing benefit and council tax benefit at the same time via one phone call to the Pension, Disability and Carers Service—one phone call, one number, three benefits. Pension, Disability and Carers Service staff completed a short claim form on the customer's behalf, and sent it to them for signing and returning it to the local authority for processing.
	From October 2008, we dispensed with the claim form. Pension, Disability and Carers Service now pass the information direct to the local authority. Previously around 40 per cent. of pre-populated council tax benefit claim forms sent to customers checking and forwarding to the local authority were never sent to the local authority.
	Our longer term aim is to make support for council tax liability as accessible as possible and we will continue to examine ways of achieving this.

Digital Broadcasting

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had on digital inclusion in Wales with the First Minister; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: The Deputy Minister for Digital Inclusion, Wayne David and I have discussed the issue on a number of occasions with the Welsh Assembly Government Minister with responsibility for digital inclusion, to ensure that the actions set out in the UK Government's Digital Inclusion Action Plan are informed by, and reinforce WAG initiatives.
	I know that the Welsh Affairs Committee is currently conducting an inquiry into the issue, and I look forward to giving evidence to the Committee.

Kingsnorth Climate Camp

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on what dates staff transferred from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to his Department have since their transfer communicated with  (a) E.ON and  (b) Kent Police regarding the Kingsnorth Climate Camp.

Mike O'Brien: Staff that dealt with the energy sector for the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) transferred to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) following its creation in October 2008. Since their transfer, there has been no communication between DECC staff and E.ON UK or the Kent police regarding the Kingsnorth Climate Camp.

Natural Gas: Falkland Islands

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assistance his Department plans to provide to the Falkland Islands government to extract oil and gas.

Gareth Thomas: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on 21 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1257W.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of shots fired by the armed forces in Helmand province in  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007; and how many shots were fired in the latest period for which figures are available.

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many rounds of ammunition have been discharged by British forces in Afghanistan in each rotation since 2006.

John Hutton: Officials are collating and validating the data needed and this is taking longer than anticipated. I will write to the hon. Member when this work is complete and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 21 May 2008,  Official Report, column 308W, on apprentices, how many apprentices his Department employs.

Kevan Jones: For the last 2007-08 reporting period, the Department delivered 8,758 apprentice completions.

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 21 May 2008,  Official Report, column 308W, on apprentices, what progress his Department has made towards the Government's commitment to employ over 1,000 apprentices in central Government Departments and agencies in 2008-09.

Kevan Jones: Government Skills is planning to prepare a central response based on the numbers participating in the National Apprenticeship Pathfinder in 2008-09. This will be in the form of a table showing participating Departments and numbers of apprentices on the programme.

Departmental Foreign Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) EU foreign nationals and  (b) non-EU foreign nationals are employed by his Department.

Kevan Jones: Data on the number of EU foreign nationals employed in the Department is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. There are 46 non-EU foreign nationals currently employed under an alien's certificate in compliance with the provision of the Aliens Employment Act 1955.

Departmental Redundancy

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1557-8W, on redundancy, what estimate he has made of the annual payroll savings resulting from his Department's staff exit schemes in  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07,  (c) 2007-08 and  (d) 2008-09 excluding the cost of severance packages; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures for 2009-10.

Kevan Jones: To provide this information in respect of all exit schemes run across the Department and its agencies would require a Department-wide trawl as information is not held centrally. This could be done only at disproportionate cost. Information on releases made through centrally-funded exit schemes is held centrally, however, and is shown in the following table. Information is shown at individuals' basic rate of pay at the time of departure.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Early release cost per annum  Estimated salary cost avoided( 1) 
			 2005-06 9.1 10.81 
			 2006-07 16.9 33.14 
			 2007-08 29.5 56.91 
			 2008-09 (2)38.6 75.5 
			 2009-10 (3)49.0 90.42 
			 (1) Based on notional cost of salaries avoided for those who have been released. (2) Projected costs, covering two major schemes. (3) Projected costs, covering two major schemes.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 5 November 2008,  Official Report, column 483W, on departmental training, what personal training courses at public expense others Ministers in his Department have undertaken since 1 January 2008.

John Hutton: Since 1 January 2008 a number of Ministers within the Department have undertaken pre-deployment training in preparation for visits to Iraq and Afghanistan.

British Nationality: Torture

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 17 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 680-81W, on British nationality: torture, what estimate he has made of the costs involved in the central collation of statistics relating to the allegations of ill treatment or torture made by British nationals.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has only collected statistics, relating to the allegations of ill treatment or torture made by British nationals, since 1 April 2005.
	The FCO has no estimate of the costs involved in collating this information pre-April 2005, as it would require searching through thousands of files on individual cases. To provide this would incur a disproportionate cost.

Cyprus: Community Relations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 365W, on Cyprus: community relations, when he last made representations to Turkey over meeting the award of the European Court of Human Rights in the Arestes case; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The issue was last discussed at senior official level at the start of January 2009 and at ministerial level during my visit to Turkey in December 2008.

Cyprus: Community Relations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 378-80W, on UN Cyprus Committee on Missing Persons, when he expects to make a final decision as to whether to make further donations to the UN Cyprus Committee on Missing Persons; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The UK has donated £109,000 to the Committee of Missing Persons (CMP) over the past four years. In addition the UK leases the land on which the CMP laboratory is situated for a nominal £1 rent per year. The Government have no plans for further donations at present.

Cyprus: Community Relations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 363W, on Cyprus: community relations; if he will make an estimate of the number of  (a) Turkish nationals (excluding the armed forces) and  (b) Turkish militia living in northern Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: We have no means of independently estimating the number in either case.

Cyprus: Community Relations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 362W, on Cyprus: community relations, if he will make an estimate of the  (a) number and  (b) ages of the enclaved Greek Cypriots living in Karpai; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: There are no Government estimates of the number and average age of anyone living in the Karpas peninsula. We have no means of independently estimating the number in either case.

Cyprus: Community Relations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 361-2W, on Cyprus: community relations, if he will make representations to the Turkish Army in North Cyprus to permit Maronites to visit Agia Marina; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Government are aware of the difficulties faced by the Maronite community in Cyprus in accessing their villages of origin, including the villages of Agia Marina. Ultimately, these issues occur as a result of the political situation on the island, and will only be fully resolved by a comprehensive settlement to reunite the island. We will continue to engage with the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities and all other parties as necessary, including Turkey, to support progress towards a settlement.

Cyprus: Community Relations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 362W, on Cyprus: community relations, when he last discussed the issue of the enclaved Greek Cypriots in the Karpas in the Committee of Ministers in the Council of Europe; what representations he made; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend has not discussed the problems faced by Greek Cypriots living in the Karpas in the Committee of Ministers. However Ministers' deputies regularly discuss issues arising out of the 2001 Cyprus  v. Turkey judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), in their quarterly meetings supervising execution of ECHR judgments. These include property rights of the enclaved. The last such discussion was 2-4 December 2008.

Cyprus: Community Relations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 369W, on Cyprus: press, how much the High Commission has spent on advertising in newspapers owned by Asil Nadir in northern Cyprus in each of the last three years.

Caroline Flint: For the period April 2007 to March 2008 the high commission spent GBP £1,315 advertising in Kibris and Cyprus Today which are both owned by Asil Nadir. The sum spent since April 2008 is GBP £1,075.20. The high commission advertises in these newspapers as they are the biggest selling papers in their market. A recent estimate showed Kibris accounting for 49 per cent. of newspaper sales in the north.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in securing additional  (a) personnel,  (b) resources and  (c) airlift capability for the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1843 on 20 November 2008; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The UN has accepted an official proposal from Bangladesh to provide one infantry battalion, one engineer company and one formed police unit, as well as a proposal from Belgium to provide a C-130 aircraft to the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC). In addition, five UN member states have agreed to send the required intelligence experts to MONUC.
	Further to this, a number of states have expressed interest in providing the second authorised infantry battalion, two special forces companies, and a second formed police unit. The UN is assessing these expressions of interest.
	We will continue to lobby current and potential troop contributing countries until additional personnel are found.

Departmental Correspondence

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's average response time to a letter received from  (a) an hon. Member and  (b) a member of the public was in each of the last three years.

Gillian Merron: Guidance for Government Departments handling correspondence from hon. Members is laid down by the Cabinet Office, who has set a target of 20 working days to reply to routine correspondence.
	Records do not indicate the average time taken to answer hon. Members' letters. I can confirm that of the 11,970 letters received from hon. Members in 2006, records indicate that 89 per cent. were answered within the 20 working days target; of the 9,790 letters received from hon. Members in 2007, records indicate that 92 per cent. were answered within the 20 working days target; and of the 10,334 letters received from hon. Members in 2008, records indicate that 87 per cent. were answered within the 20 working days target.
	Cabinet Office does not issue guidance for Government Departments answering letters from members of the public. Records of letters received from members of the public until late 2007 are not available and we are therefore unable to provide figures for either 2006 or 2007. However, of the 73,048 letters received from members of the public (including e-mails and campaign postcards), our records indicate that 62,671 were answered within 20 working days.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 his Department  (a) agreed to and  (b) refused (i) in 2006, (ii) in 2007 and (iii) between January and July 2008.

Gillian Merron: The available statistical information regarding FOI requests received by departments can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/freedomofinformationquarterly.htm

Departmental Freedom of Information

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the average time was for his Department to respond to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in the last 12 months.

Gillian Merron: The available statistical information regarding FOI requests received by Departments can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/freedomofinformationquarterly.htm

Departmental Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 9 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1656W, on departmental personnel, how many staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies are (i) without posts and (ii) within the corporate pool; how many staff without posts were classified as such upon returning from maternity leave; and how many of the staff without posts were classified as such for at least (A) six and (B) 12 months.

Gillian Merron: On 22 December 2008 there were 226 members of staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) corporate pool. Of these, 166 were deployed in temporary jobs and 60 were either on training courses or were shortly to go on maternity leave, retire or take up a job. Four members of staff who had recently returned from maternity leave were either deployed in temporary jobs or on training courses. There were no members of staff able to work who were not deployed.
	There were 53 members of staff who had been in the corporate pool for more than six months and 25 who had been in the pool for twelve months.

Ethiopia: Eritrea

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the Answer of 20 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 96-7W, on Ethiopia: Eritrea, on how many occasions in the last 12 months  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have raised the issue of the binding verdict of the International Ethiopian Eritrean Boundary Commission with the Ethiopian authorities.

Gillian Merron: UK Ministers have consistently said to the Ethiopian authorities that both parties should: avoid any return to war; demarcate the border; and normalise their relations. Ethiopia and Eritrea should agree a way forward to allow demarcation to proceed and for a normalisation process to begin, as set out in the Algiers Agreements of June and December 2000, to which both Ethiopia and Eritrea are signatories.
	In the last 12 months, we have raised this issue on four occasions at ministerial level.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials also continually reiterate these messages with their Ethiopian counterparts in Addis Ababa, London and New York.

Official Cars

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what cars are  (a) owned,  (b) leased,  (c) hired and  (d) otherwise regularly used by his Department, broken down by cubic capacity of engine.

Gillian Merron: Information about the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices (FCO) overseas fleet of vehicles is not held centrally. To provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
	Details of FCO Services owned vehicles are set out in the table below. FCO Services does not lease or hire vehicles for the fleet, all vehicles detailed are 'owned'.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Department for Transport (Mr. Hoon) on 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 10W, about cars provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency.
	
		
			  Vehicle make  Vehicle model  Vehicle Function  Engine cc  Euro Standard  CO 2  Emissions (g/km)  Fuel 
			 Ford Galaxy MPV 1.8 TDCI (1796cc) IV 166 Diesel 
			 Renault Rigid lorry HGV 10.8 (10837cc) V CEE EUR05 Diesel 
			 Renault Artic lorry HGV 4.5 (4500cc) V CEE EURO5 Diesel 
			 Renault Artic lorry HGV 4.5 (4500cc) V CEE EUR05 Diesel 
			 Renault Artic lorry HGV 11.0 (11116cc) IV 181 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit minibus PCV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) III 210 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit minibus PCV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) III 210 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit T350 LGV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) IV 215 Diesel 
			 Ford Minibus PCV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) III 210 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit jumbo LGV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) III 210 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit LGV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) IV 0.396 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit LGV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) IV 0.396 Diesel 
			 Renault Magnum HGV 11.9 (11929cc) V 169 Diesel 
			 Ford Galaxy Ghia TDI MPV 1.9 TDI (1998cc) III 178 Diesel 
			 Ford Galaxy Ghia TDI MPV 1.9 TDI (1998cc) III 178 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit 350 LWB LGV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) III 210 Diesel 
			 Ford Galaxy MPV 1.9 TDI (1998cc) III 178 Diesel 
			 Vauxhall Corsa van LGV 1.7 (1698cc) III 130 LPG/Dual 
			 Toyota Prius hybrid Hatchback 1.5 (1497cc) V 0.18 Hybrid 
			 Ford Transit LGV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) III 210 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit LGV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) III 210 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit LGV 2.3TDI (2200cc) III 210 Diesel 
			 Vauxhall Omega saloon Saloon 2.0 (1998cc) IV 248 Petrol 
			 Ford Galaxy MPV 2.0 (1998cc) IV  Diesel 
			 Ford Galaxy MPV 2.0 (1998cc) IV  Diesel 
			 Vauxhall Omega saloon Saloon 2.2 (2090cc) IV 233 LPG/Dual 
			 Vauxhall Signum Hatchback 1.9 (1938cc) IV 189 Diesel 
			 Rover 75 75 Vanden Plas Saloon 2.5 (2400cc) III 225 LPG/Dual 
			 Ford Galaxy MPV 1.9 TDI (1998cc) Hi 178 Diesel 
			 Ford Galaxy MPV 1.9 TDI (1998cc) III 178 Diesel 
			 Vauxhall Astra van LGV 1.3 (1248cc) IV 131 Diesel 
			 Vauxhall Astra van LGV 1.3 (1248cc) IV 132 Diesel 
			 Vauxhall Corsa combi LGV 1.7 (1698cc) III 130 Diesel 
			 Vauxhall Astra estate Estate 1.6 (1598cc) IV 151 LPG/Dual 
			 Vauxhall Astra estate Estate 1.6 (1598cc) IV 151 LPG/Dual 
			 Vauxhall Corsa van LGV 1.3 (1298cc) V 132 Diesel 
			 Ford Connect LGV 1.8 TDCI (1796cc) IV 171 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit LGV 2.4TDI (2300cc) III 210 Diesel

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 381W, on western Sahara, if he will make representations to the new Moroccan ambassador to the UK urging an end to Morocco's continued occupation of western Sahara.

Bill Rammell: The new Moroccan ambassador to the UK has not yet arrived in London. Nevertheless the Government continue to encourage all parties to the ongoing dispute to enter into the UN-led negotiation process in a spirit of realism and compromise and work towards a mutually acceptable political solution that will provide for the self-determination of the people of western Sahara, as called for by the UN Security Council.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to answer Question 247757 about the seminar on stem cell research, tabled on 12 January 2009; what the reason is for the time taken to reply; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 9 February 2009
	The question was answered on 4 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1205W. The delay in answering was due to administrative error.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to answer Question 242696 about terrorism in Israel, tabled on 8 December 2008; what the reason is for the time taken to reply; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 9 February 2009
	This question will be answered shortly. The delay has been caused by an administrative error.

Departmental Redundancy

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1571W, on redundancy, what estimate has he made of the annual payroll savings resulting from staff exit schemes in  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07,  (c) 2007-08 and  (d) 2008-09 excluding the cost of severance packages; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures for 2009-10.

Geoff Hoon: The information requested for  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07,  (c) 2007-08 and  (d) 2008-09 can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	No staff exit schemes are currently planned for 2009-10.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Personal Records

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what data are  (a) transferred to ANPR International and  (b) sold by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency; and whether individuals may prevent the (i) transfer and (ii) sale of data relating to them.

Jim Fitzpatrick: ANPR International is part of the Excel Group. The following data are transferred to Excel Parking Services via an electronic link in response to individual inquiries for individual records where the criteria for disclosure is met.
	Name and address of vehicle keeper
	Make
	Model
	Colour
	Engine capacity
	Taxable weight
	Seating capacity
	Tax class
	Date of expiry of last licence issued.
	It should be noted that an electronic link is a means of requesting and receiving information: it is not direct access into the Driver and Vehicle licensing Agency's (DVLA) vehicle register. Contracts with private companies set out the exact conditions under which a company may apply for vehicle keeper data.
	DVLA does not 'sell' personal information. Regulations allow DVLA to charge a fee for information released under 'reasonable cause' provisions, but do not allow a profit to be made. The fee, currently £2.50, is levied to cover the cost of dealing with requests. This means the applicant and not the taxpayer covers the associated administrative costs.
	The law does allow DVLA to sell vehicle data that do not include any information that can identify a specific individual. The following non-personal information is sold to commercial companies under contract:
	Anonymised data: These consist of vehicle identifying information e.g. make, mode, colour: They do not however contain the vehicle registration mark or the name and address of the vehicle keeper. These data are used for marketing and statistical purposes.
	Bulk data: These are supplied to companies who provide a service to the public and dealerships when the purchase of a vehicle is being considered. Information contains the vehicle registration number and other specifics of the vehicle, but no personal details that would reveal the identity of the vehicle keeper. These data are used to provide vehicle checking services to members of the public/dealers looking to confirm the identity of a vehicle offered for sale.
	Information is disclosed where the recipient has demonstrated reasonable cause for receiving those data, and where DVLA considers it both fair and reasonable to make that disclosure.
	Individuals have a responsibility to follow road traffic and other rules or regulations when using their vehicle. If individuals were able to opt out of having their data disclosed, they would be able to avoid any sanction or responsibility for any damage or loss caused as a result of that use.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency: South West

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the letter of 30 January 2009 from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Totnes, when he plans to complete his evaluation of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's review in relation to the southern part of the south west peninsula.

Jim Fitzpatrick: As I said in my letter of 30 January, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency hope to conclude their discussions with the UK SAR Strategic Committee and its Operators Group by the end of February and will then report back to me. The consultation exercise will commence soon after that.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, column 316W, on agriculture: subsidies, how much was given to each of the 10 claimants.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 5 February 2009
	The following table lists the 10 individuals and/or organisations that received the highest subsidies available under all schemes under the common agricultural policy for the European financial year 2008, which runs from 16 October 2007 to 15 October 2008.
	
		
			  Individual/organisations 
			  £ 
			 K G Growers 3,170,052.01 
			 G's Growers 2,908,857.66 
			 Farmcare Limited 2,641,415.83 
			 The Berryworld Producer Organisation 1,943,996,51 
			 Strutt and Parker Limited 1,493,340.64 
			 The National Trust 1,348,898.74 
			 Sir Richard Suttons Settles Estate 1,264,889.52 
			 Lilburn Estates Farming Partnership 1,215,740.15 
			 Blankley Estates Ltd 1,189,030.63 
			 Fruition Producer Organisation Limited 1,186,619.38

Agriculture: Subsidies

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, column 316W, on agriculture: subsidies, under which common agricultural policy schemes payments were made to each listed recipient.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 9 February 2009
	The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Claimant  Scheme 
			 KG Growers Ltd. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme 
			 G's Growers Ltd. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme 
			 Farmcare Ltd. Single Payment Scheme, Countryside Stewardship Scheme, Environmental Stewardship Scheme 
			 The Berryworld Producer Organisation Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme 
			 Strutt and Parker (Farms) Ltd. Single Payment Scheme, Environmental Stewardship Scheme 
			 The National Trust Single Payment Scheme, Environmental Stewardship Scheme, Countryside Stewardship Scheme, Habitat, Environmentally Sensitive Areas 
			 Sir Richard Suttons Settles Estates Single Payment Scheme, Environmental Stewardship Scheme, Countryside Stewardship Scheme 
			 Lilburn Estates Farming Partnership Single Payment Scheme, Hill Farming Allowance, Environmental Stewardship Scheme, Countryside Stewardship Scheme 
			 Blankney Estates Ltd Single Payment Scheme, Environmental Stewardship Scheme, Countryside Stewardship Scheme 
			 Fruition Producer Organisation Ltd. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme

Bovine Tuberculosis

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the effects of bovine tuberculosis on  (a) income and  (b) employment in the farming sector; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: No specific estimates of the effects of bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) on income and employment in the farming sector have been made. However, the impact of bTB on the farming sector is of concern to the Government and DEFRA has funded a project to investigate the longer-term effects of a bovine bTB breakdown on farm businesses. This work includes looking at income and employment. The final report will be published on the DEFRA website once peer review is complete.
	 Source:
	Bennett, RM and Cooke, RJ (2006). Costs to farmers of a tuberculosis breakdown. Veterinary record 158:429-432.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of cases of bovine tuberculosis in the South West.

Jane Kennedy: We have in place a range of cattle measures to reduce the spread and incidence of disease, not just in the south-west but across the whole country.
	DEFRA's testing and slaughter policy has been in place for a number of years and significant steps have been taken to supplement this including: introduction of a zero tolerance regime for overdue tests; changes to the compensation system; pre movement tests for cattle moving from high risk herds; and the extension of the use of the gamma interferon test; as well as encouraging good husbandry practice.
	We are also actively pursuing the future use of vaccination of cattle and wildlife as a means of tackling bovine TB, alongside our current control measures.
	We recognise that bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a serious disease and we are committed to tackling this.

Fisheries: Western Sahara

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2009,  Official Report, column 548W, on Western Sahara: fisheries, what plans there are for UK-registered fishing vessels to fish in waters of the Western Sahara in the next 12 months.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The UK has two vessels operating in Moroccan waters under the EU/Morocco Fisheries Agreement. They have fished in the waters of Western Sahara in previous years and it is likely that they will do so again during the course of 2009.

Litter

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 848W, on littering: young offenders, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Environment Agency's enforcement and prosecution policy and functional guidance.

Jane Kennedy: A copy of the Environment Agency's enforcement and prosecution policy and functional guidance will be placed in the Library of the House.

Parking

Greg Knight: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 1343-4W, on parking, whether the rate of air change in the underground car park was changed to its original level by 21 April 2008; whether the rate of air change is currently at its planned level; and whether a major refurbishment of the ventilation system is planned for 2010-11.

Nick Harvey: The rate of air change in the underground car park was changed to its original level by 21 April 2008. The rate of air change is currently at its planned level. Major refurbishment of the ventilation system is included in the works programme for 2010-12.

Departmental Pensions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps his Department is taking to advise staff of pension options available to them in relation to added years or additional voluntary contributions.

Ann McKechin: Members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme receive an annual benefit statement showing the pension built up to date, and also a projection of their pension on retirement if they continue in service to scheme pension age. The benefit statement prompts the member to consider boosting their pension and provides details of the Civil Service pensions website where staff can obtain further information, including options for making additional voluntary contributions and a calculator to work out costs for added pension (previously added years).
	New entrants are informed of pension options in the employment offer and are provided with a pension information pack.
	Cabinet Office provides leaflets that explain added pension and additional voluntary contributions for members. The information is also available in scheme booklets. These are available on the Civil Service Pensions website or on request from the member's pensions administrator.
	All staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice and remain on the payroll of their parent Department. Information on pension options available to staff, including added pension and additional voluntary contributions, are available on the parent departments Intranet sites, to which all staff have access.

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 11 June 2008,  Official Report, column 332W, on apprentices, what progress her Department has made towards meeting its share of the Government's commitment to employ over 1,000 apprentices in central Government Departments and agencies in 2008-09.

Phil Woolas: Government Skills are preparing a response which will include data for a number of Departments, including the Home Office.

Asylum: Zimbabwe

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration she has given to changing the criteria applied to Zimbabwian nations seeking asylum in the UK.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 10 February 2009
	All asylum and human rights claims are considered on their individual merits in accordance with our obligations under the refugee convention and the European convention on human rights. Decisions take account of the individual facts of the case, up-to-date objective country information and any relevant case law.
	The "Operational Guidance Note" providing policy advice for case owners considering asylum claims from Zimbabweans was last updated on 1 December 2008 and is kept under continual review.

Crime Prevention

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data her Department holds on the performance of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.

Jacqui Smith: We do not have a rolling programme for collecting data on the performance of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs). Following a review of the partnerships provisions of the Crime and Disorder 1998 Act, the duties on CDRPs to produce three yearly audits and to report annually to the Secretary of State on a partnership's work and progress were repealed in 2007. They were replaced by new statutory requirements in 2007 to introduce minimum standards for partnership working based on six Hallmarks of Effective Partnerships. These include a duty on CDRPs to produce a strategic assessment identifying local community safety priorities and a partnership plan which sets out the approach for addressing these priorities.

Crime: Statistics

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 1483-86W, on crime: statistics, whether the National Policing Improvement Agency categorises data it collects on incidents of anti-social behaviour by type.

Jacqui Smith: The National Incident Category List (NICL) sets out an agreed framework for the recording of incidents that do not amount to notifiable crime. NICL sits within the National Standard for Incident Recording. NICL provides national definitions for a range of incident types, including those amounting to antisocial behaviour.

Crime: Statistics

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 1483W, on crime: statistics, for what reason the data on anti-social behaviour are only available for 2007-08.

Jacqui Smith: Returns of antisocial behaviour incident data were first included in the Police Annual Data Requirement with effect from 1 April 2007 which was the date on which the National Standard for Incident Recording (incorporating the National Incident Category List) came into full effect nationally.

Departmental Security

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, column 284W, on departmental security, how many lost or stolen security passes have since been recovered.

Phil Woolas: The Departmental Security Unit do not keep records of Home Office HQ passes found or recovered as lost or stolen passes are deactivated as soon as they are reported missing/stolen and are deleted from the system, thereby preventing access to Home Office buildings.
	In the calendar year 2008, UK Border Agency reported that 26 UKBA passes had been found (warrant cards are included in this figures, as for some business areas they are the same document).

Entry Clearances

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average waiting time for responses to visa applications has been in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: Public service agreement (PSA) target times for processing visa applications during FY 2004-05 to FY 2007-08 were as follows:
	PSA 1: 90 per cent. of straightforward non-settlement applications processed in 24 hours;
	PSA 2: 90 per cent. of non-settlement applications requiring further inquires to be processed within 15 working days;
	PSA 3: 90 per cent. of applicants for settlement visas to be assessed or interviewed within in 50 working days.
	The UK Border Agency retained the same targets for visa processing from April 2008. Our performance against these targets is shown in the following table.
	Data for years prior to FY 2006-07 are not available.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   FY 2008-09(Apr-Dec)  FY 2007-08  FY  2006-07 
			 PSA 1 84 89 89 
			 PSA 2 86 93 94 
			 PSA 3 82 93 91 
			  Note: The data for 2007/08 and 2008/09 is unpublished and should be treated as provisional.  Source: Central Reference System, 29 January 2009 
		
	
	New customer service standards for visa processing times were introduced in January 2009 and are published on the Border Agency's Visa Services website, together with actual monthly processing times for each visa-issuing post.
	These are end-to-end processing times which include processing at Visa Application Centres (run by our commercial partners) as well as processing at Visa Sections.

Illegal Immigrants: Employment

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what businesses the UK Border Agency and its predecessors has raided on suspicion that they were employing illegal immigrants in each of the last six years; and what businesses  (a) were fined and  (b) had a civil penalty imposed on them for employing such immigrants in each of those years;
	(2)  how many raids upon businesses the UK Border Agency and its predecessors undertook in each year since 2004; and how many undocumented immigrants were arrested in those raids.

Jacqui Smith: The number of UK Border Agency enforcement visits to UK businesses suspected of employing illegal workers and the numbers arrested during these visits in each year since April 2005 is attached at Annex A. Details prior to 2005 are not available. Information on how many of the individuals arrested were undocumented and could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.
	All data are sourced from the National Operations Database (NOD) which was launched in April 2005. NOD is a management information tool and data from it are not quality assured under national statistics protocols. Figures provided from NOD do not constitute part of national statistics and should be treated as provisional.
	Details of businesses prosecuted and fined for employing illegal migrant workers under section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 are published in the Control of Immigration Statistics United Kingdom 2007 which is available in the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate web site at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
	Details of Civil Penalties issued to employers under the Immigration Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 can be found on the UK Border Agency website at:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersandsponsors/listemployerspenalties/
	 Annex A
	
		
			  The number of UK Border Agency enforcement visits to UK businesses and numbers arrested 
			   April 2005 to March 06  April 06 to March 07  April 07 to March 08  April 08 to November 08 
			 Illegal working (IW) visits 2,915 4,614 7,178 4,751 
			 IW visits with arrests 1,575 2,044 2,855 2,058 
			 Persons arrested 3,819 4,001 5,589 4,106 
			  Source: All data is sourced from the National Operations Database (NOD). NOD is a management information tool and data from it is not quality assured under National Statistics protocols. Figures provided from the NOD do not constitute part of National Statistics and should be treated as provisional.

Members: Correspondence

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer Question 243298, on identity cards and foreign nationals, tabled on 9 December 2008.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 27 January 2009
	I replied to the hon. Member on 29 January 2009,  Official Report, column 810W.

Members: Correspondence

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer Question 243515, on identity card verification across Government, tabled on 9 December 2008.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 27 January 2009
	I replied to the hon. Member on 19 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1228W.

Police: Standards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 98W, on police: standards, what targets have been removed; and on what date each ceased to have effect.

Jacqui Smith: The Government have been clarifying the performance management framework for the police for some time, to help the police focus more effectively on the issues that concern the public. The top down numerical target which concerned frontline officers the most—to increase the total number of offences brought to justice from the 2004 Public Service Agreements (PSAs)—ceased to have effect at the end of 2007-08. The Policing Green Paper made further significant changes as part of its broader proposals for reforming the relationship between the police service, the public and the Home Office. In particular, the Government committed to a single top down target for police forces—on improving public confidence.
	Centrally set efficiency and productivity targets for individual forces and authorities ceased to have effect from the publication of the Policing Green Paper (17 July 2008). Volume and value targets on cash forfeiture orders also ceased to have effect on that date. Centrally set 10-year race employment targets relating to the recruitment, retention and progression of black and minority ethnic police officers and staff come to an end on 31 March 2009, when a final report against a centrally set progression target will also be made.
	Centrally set multi-agency targets for local criminal justice boards (LCJBs, on which police forces are members alongside other agencies) on enforcement (including fail to appear (FTA) warrant enforcement, community penalty breach enforcement and licence recall) and asset recovery (specifically on obtaining and enforcing confiscation orders) cease from April 2009. The Persistent Young Offenders (PYO) Pledge ended on 31 December 2008.
	All of this demonstrates how we are complying with our commitment in the Green Paper to "neither set nor maintain" top down numerical targets for individual police forces with the exception of one—to raise public confidence that their local crime and antisocial behaviour priorities are being addressed.

UK Border Agency: Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a reply will be sent to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood's letter of 16 December 2008 to the UK Border Agency on behalf of Said Bouzinab (Home Office reference B493071, acknowledgement reference B41558/8).

Phil Woolas: The regional director for the North West, Gill Mortlock, wrote to my right hon. Friend on 5 February 2009.

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 2 June 2008,  Official Report, column 614W, on apprentices, what progress has been made on increasing the number of apprentices in her Department; and how many apprentices her Department employs.

Sadiq Khan: Within CLG, eight members of staff are currently undertaking apprenticeships as part of the Government Skill's Apprenticeship Pathfinder scheme.
	Although none of our agencies or Government Offices are currently putting staff forward for apprenticeships, the GOs are developing policy on introducing apprenticeships across the whole GO Network.

Council Tax

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Onger of 2 June 2008,  Official Report, column 533W, on council tax, what methodology her Department used to calculate the average parish council tax precept of £45 on Band D, as referred to in the answer of 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1169W, on council tax; and if she will use the same methodology to calculate a figure for 2008-09.

John Healey: The methodology used to estimate the average Band D parish council tax precept is based on assumptions set out in local government financial statistics England, as referred to in the answer of 2 June 2008.
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar, (Mr. Pickles) of 2 February 2009,  Official Report, column 972W, in respect of 2008-09.

Departmental Procurement

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 304W, on departmental procurement, what the purpose of the expenditure on LLM Communications was; and what goods or services were purchased.

Sadiq Khan: LLM Communications were engaged to support regional housing debates.

Departmental Procurement

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 303W, on departmental procurement, what the purpose was of the expenditure incurred by the Deputy Prime Minister's Office in respect of  (a) Oddbins,  (b) BMI Health Screening,  (c) RAF Northolt,  (d) Ecovert FM Ltd. and  (e) Apollo Photographers Ltd.

Sadiq Khan: Oddbins sold beverages, BMI Health Screening arranged vaccinations for officials to travel abroad on business, RAF Northolt is the base of 32 Squadron which recharges for flights used on official travel, Ecovert FM was responsible for building services where DPMO was located, and Apollo were photographers employed to help with the production of DPMO's annual report. All DPMO expenditure was made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in "Government Accounting" and the Treasury handbook on "Regularity and Propriety".

Departmental Procurement

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 23 June 2008,  Official Report, column 24W, on departmental procurement, how much expenditure was incurred on each organisation listed in the chart in 2007-08, based on purchase order data held in the departmental financial system.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) on 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 303W.

EU Grants and Loans

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons her Department declined to accept an extension on spending deadlines for England for European structural funding in England; what estimate she has made of the amount of money under such structural funding provisions for England unspent as at 31 December 2008; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: Government took into account views from the regions, including on the extent to which any additional resources resulting from programme extension could be used given the lack of flexibility in the EC's offer of extension, and decided that there was insufficient benefit to justify changing existing spending plans.
	The 2000-06 ERDF programmes have so far recorded spend of over €5 billion. There are over 2,900 ERDF grant claims being processed in our systems and more are expected as projects make their final claims for grant. Until these claims are processed and paid we will not have a final spend position but expect it to show successful take up of the available funds—at least equal to previous rounds of ERDF.

Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber: Lloyds TSB

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of  (a) 4 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1293W, on Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber: Lloyds TSB and  (b) 29 January 2009,  Official Report, column 779W, on Lloyds TSB, for what reasons a copy of the minutes of the 14 January meeting was deposited in the Library contrary to normal practice; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: Exceptionally, it was thought helpful to deposit a brief summary (but not the minutes as much of the discussion on 14 January was commercially confidential).

Pollution

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 1 February 2008,  Official Report, column 696W, on pollution, whether the costs to local authorities under the landfill tax escalator and Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme are  (a) passed on to the polluter and  (b) compensated by central government under the new burden principles.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Wentworth (John Healey) on 1 February 2008,  Official Report, column 696W.

Renewable Energy: Planning Permission

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations she has received on Veolia's planning application for an energy from waste plant at the site of the former Rufford Colliery, Rainworth, Nottinghamshire; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: In addition to the hon. Member, the hon. Member for Mansfield (Mr. Meale), has requested that the planning application be called in for the Secretary of State's own determination. The Secretary of State has also received representations from three county councillors, one district councillor, Newark and Sherwood district council, a campaign group called PAIN (People Against Incineration) plus 12 members of the public, asking that the application be called in.
	The case is currently under consideration by the Secretary of State. Therefore I cannot make any statement on the case. A decision will be issued as soon as possible.

Renewable Energy: Planning Permission

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons she decided to apply the recovery procedure to the three wind farm applications in the borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed on 26 August 2008.

Iain Wright: The reason for recovery was due to the proposals being of major significance for the delivery of the Government's climate change programme and energy policies.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 29 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1149W, on non-domestic rates, whether the domestic or composite hereditament premises of diplomatic missions will have liability for charges for the collection of household waste under proposed pilot schemes.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	Participation in a waste incentives scheme by diplomatic and consular agents would be on a voluntary basis.

Hospital Beds

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many days each NHS hospital trust has been placed on its highest level of alert because of a shortage of beds since 1 November 2008.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not held centrally in the format requested. The information may be available from individual trusts.

PatientPak

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2009,  Official Report, column 627W, on PatientPak, 
	(1)  on how many occasions in the last 12 months NHS hospitals have provided in-patients with special soap and shampoo to prevent viral and bacterial infections;
	(2)  which proven antimicrobial formula is contained in the special soap and shampoo provided to in-patients by NHS hospitals to prevent viral and bacterial infections;
	(3)  under which circumstances NHS hospitals provide in-patients with special soap and shampoo to prevent viral and bacterial infections when such an infection  (a) has and  (b) has not been detected in a hospital.

Ann Keen: The decision to provide patients with antimicrobial soap and shampoo is a local one based on local infection prevention and control policies.
	Information on which products are used and how frequently is not collected centrally, however the antimicrobial compounds used in these products include chlorhexidine gluconate and triclosan as the active ingredients.

Prescriptions

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 1202-3W, on prescriptions, on how many occasions there has been a report of  (a) an incident of overdose with a controlled drug and  (b) other serious incidents reported to the Commission for Social Care Inspection involving a resident in a care establishment in Warrington; and to which individual service each report was made.

Phil Hope: The requirement for care homes to report incidents to the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) is set out in the Care Home Regulations 2001. Regulation 37 requires reports to be made to CSCI without delay of:
	The death of any service user;
	The outbreak in the care home of any serious infectious disease;
	Serious injury to a service user;
	Serious illness of a service user (other than in a nursing home);
	Any event in the care home which adversely affects the well-being or safety of a service user;
	Any theft, burglary or accident in the care home; and
	Any allegation of misconduct by the registered person or a worker at the home.
	If a serious incident is reported to CSCI under Regulation 37 of the Care Homes Regulations, which governs notification of death, illness and other events in care homes, it is followed up by the CSCI regulation inspector or regulation manager associated with that service. Depending on circumstances, they may refer the issue to the pharmacist inspector. It is one of CSCI's referral criteria to contact a pharmacist inspector and this may result in inspection of the care home and a resulting report with requirements and recommendations. If the overdose is a result of an incorrect prescription from the general practitioner, the pharmacist inspector will liaise via the local intelligence network through the national health service accountable officer at the relevant primary care trust, who will deal with the issue.
	We are informed by CSCI that there were 2,716 notifications to CSCI under Regulation 37 of incidents in care homes in Warrington in the years 2006 to 2008. The following table shows a breakdown of numbers of notifications between care homes. We are informed by CSCI that to extract the incidents involving overdose with a controlled drug from these notifications would involve disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Notifiable incidents under Regulation 37 (The Care Homes Regulations 2001)—care homes in Warrington 
			  Care home name  Current status  2006  2007  2008 
			 Apple Court Care Home Registered 23 25 26 
			 Arlington House Registered 4 — 3 
			 Autism Initiatives—Lilford Court Registered — — 2 
			 Booths Hill House Registered 39 24 39 
			 Brookfield De-registered 14 15 6 
			 Brookfield Registered — — 12 
			 Calls Care Home Registered 56 70 54 
			 Cotebrook Registered 5 2 2 
			 Green Park Care Home Registered — — —18 
			 Green Park Care Home De-registered 61 76 31 
			 Heathercroft Care Home Registered 20 31 39 
			 Heathfield De-registered 7 — — 
			 Heathfield Residential Home Registered 5 21 11 
			 Heath Lodge De-registered — 19 9 
			 Heath Lodge Registered — — 13 
			 Heathside Registered 20 20 5 
			 Heathside Mews Registered 1 5 13 
			 High Peak Nursing Home Registered 26 23 21 
			 Holcroft Grange Registered 26 28 27 
			 Hollybush Care Home Registered 16 26 21 
			 Houghton Hall De-registered 38 27 — 
			 James Phoenix House Registered 1 2 2 
			 Keate House Registered 26 38 46 
			 Lodge Lane Nursing Home Registered 4 16 5 
			 Meadow View Nursing and Residential Home Registered 12 29 38 
			 Old Rectory Nursing Home—Warrington Registered 8 7 8 
			 Padgate House Registered 42 54 62 
			 Radcliffe Meadows Mental Nursing Home Registered 2 11 2 
			 Riverbank Nursing Home Registered 153 129 112 
			 Rose Villa De-registered 1 — —- 
			 Rosevilla Residential Home Registered 6 7 — 
			 St. Marys Continuing Care Registered 27 25 12 
			 St. Oswalds House Nursing Home Registered 24 46 12 
			 Summerville Nursing Centre Registered — 20 42 
			 Summerville Nursing Home De-registered 26 1 1 
			 The Glen Deregistered De-registered 1 — — 
			 Thelwall Grange Nursing and Residential Home Registered  4 15 
			 Thelwall Grange Nursing and Residential Home De-registered 11 8 — 
			 The Old Vicarage Nursing Residential Care Centre Registered 13 12 13 
			 Three Bridges Nursing and Residential Home Registered 18 42 21 
			 Three Elms Registered 31 26 21 
			 Warrington Community Living—Twiss Green Registered 8 3 5 
			 Waverley House Registered 8 14 18 
			 Westleigh Registered 1 3 1 
			 Westvale House Registered  29 47 
			 Westvale House Care Home De-registered 31 6 — 
			 Westy Hall Registered 29 17 35 
			 Wigshaw Grange Registered 1 — — 
			 Woodleigh Registered 7 17 16 
			 Totals  852 978 886 
			 Grand total for 2006-08  2,716 
			  Note: Homes denoted as registered were registered with CSCI consequently operational at the time the data were prepared. Those denoted as de-registered were not. De-registration usually means permanent closure of a home. However, it may in some cases be temporary, for example when a care home is sold, or closed for refurbishment.  Source: CSCI database at 28 January 2009

Sark

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department plans to take in response to the Court of Appeal ruling on 5 December 2008 in the case of R (Barclay and others)  v. Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and others.

Michael Wills: In a letter to the Seneschal, the Minister for the Crown Dependencies, Lord Bach, has made clear that both he and officials in the Ministry of Justice expect to be kept informed of the progress made in reforming the role of the Seneschal.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2009,  Official Report, column 586W, on departmental training, what the  (a) cost,  (b) duration and  (c) nature was of each of the courses undertaken; and which Ministers attended each.

Angela Eagle: As I set out in my answer of 28 January 2009,  Official Report, column 586W, the three courses attended by Treasury Ministers in the period concerned were intended to enable Ministers to carry out their duties effectively in line with the Ministerial Code. Two courses lasted a day, and one 90 minutes. The total cost of the courses was £1,285. Identifying Ministers who undertake training would, or would be likely to, discourage participation in future training sessions, acting as a disincentive for Ministers to undertake formal professional development.

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 28 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 101-02W, on departmental ICT, what the  (a) original expected cost was,  (b) original expected delivery date was and (c) current expected completion date is of each ICT project listed; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: With reference to the reply of 28 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 101-02W, on departmental ICT, I have updated the information given on a best-fit basis to show the  (a) original expected cost,  (b) the original expected delivery date and  (c) the current expected completion date of each ICT project listed. The costs shown are total project costs, which include ICT specific expenditure. The information is based on current plans and is subject to actual outturns. Some DCSF expenditure also includes elements relating to services provided to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills following machinery of government changes that are not readily identifiable.
	
		
			  Project  Costs (£ million)  Original expected cost  Original expected delivery date  Current expected completion date  Comments 
			 ContactPoint 224.00 224.00 Live service December 2008 Live service January 2009 — 
			   
			 e-Common Assessment Framework 44.00 44.00 Live service before end 2009 Live service first quarter 2010 — 
			   
			 National Strategies Contract 5.90 with agreed enhancements 5.50 April 2009 April 2009 Further enhancement of the content bank to improve accessibility 
			   
			 Schools Recruitment—CPP Shared Services 2.285 no spend yet 2.285 June 2009 Web-service for schools June 2009 — 
			   
			 Implementing e-Channels 34.30 22.90 February 2011 March 2013 Requirement changed and increased during the definition stage. The service delivery period has also been extended 
			   
			 Identity Assurance 11.00-15.00 11.00-15.00 — — Delivery timetable not yet fixed—still at planning stage 
			   
			 Corporate Services Transformation Programme 26.00 26.90 April 2009 Autumn 2009 — 
			   
			 GCA—Minerva 18.00 26.00 September 2010 March 2009 Scope reduction

Departmental Travel

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what expenditure his Department has incurred in providing transport for Ministers between Parliament and departmental premises in each year since his Department was established.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Hoon) on 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 6W. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.